International Telecommunication Union Radio (ITU-R) communication sector is proceeding with standardization of an International mobile telecommunication (IMT)-Advanced, a next-generation mobile communication system following the 3rd-generation. The IMT-Advanced aims at supporting Internet protocol (IP)-based multimedia services at a data rate of 1 Gbps in a stationary and low-speed movement state and at a data rate of 100 Mbps in a high speed movement state.
3rd-generation partnership project (3GPP) is preparing long term evolution (LTE)-Advanced, a system standard that meets the requirements of the IMT-Advanced, by improving the LTE which is based on an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA)/single carrier-frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) transmission scheme. The LTE-advanced is one of potential candidates for the IMT-Advanced. A major technique of the LTE-Advanced includes a relay station technique.
A relay station is a device for relaying signals between a base station and a terminal, which is used to extend a cell coverage and improve throughput of a wireless communication system.
In a multi-carrier system, the relay station may use a plurality of component carriers in a backhaul link with a base station or in an access link with a relay station terminal. In this case, however, the state of a wireless channel of each component carrier changes, and a data transfer amount required by the backhaul link, a data transfer amount required by the access link, and the like, also changes.
In addition, a subframe structure of a control channel or a data channel transmitted in a particular component carrier of the relay station is likely to vary depending on whether or not the component carrier of the relay station is used for one of the backhaul link or the access link or it is used for both the backhaul link and the access link.
Thus, in consideration of these facts, a method allowing a relay station to effectively use a particular component carrier in a backhaul link and an access link, and a relay station using the method are required.